Manchester by the Sea is a deeply affecting and wickedly funny masterpiece showcasing the maturation of men, from the broken man and his nephew at its heart to the drama's phenomenal filmmaker.

Writer/director Kenneth Lonergan (You Can Count on Me) is at his best with this emotionally stirring movie (**** out of four; rated R; in theaters Friday in New York and Los Angeles, rolling out nationally through December) about overcoming loss, leaning on family for support, and putting aside crippling tragedy long enough to find redemption. Manchester finds a way to weave together truly wrenching sequences with a clever sense of humor, and Lonergan pulls extraordinary performances from his entire cast, especially Casey Affleck.

Affleck stars as Lee, an apartment handyman in the Boston suburbs who’s rude to tenants and randomly picks fights in bars. While clearing snow, he gets a call that his brother Joe (Kyle Chandler) is in the hospital, though by the time Lee makes it to his North Shore hometown, his sibling is gone, dead from a heart condition.

Lee hasn’t been back home much, and everyone in town talks about him in hushed tones — for reasons that reveal themselves. Joe’s will names Lee sole guardian of his nephew Patrick (Lucas Hedges), so the two get to know one another better, bickering over the teen's relationship with his estranged mom (Gretchen Mol) and where they’re going to live, though their bond ultimately tightens over shared loss.

Randi (Michelle Williams) and Lee (Casey Affleck) have a difficult time dealing with past tragedy in 'Manchester by the Sea.'(Photo: Claire Folger)

Lonergan has crafted a wonderful screenplay that puts its characters through complete emotional annihilation with welcome sparks of levity: “Are you fundamentally unsound?” Patrick asks his grumpy uncle during a banter-laden drive. While Lee’s character arc is the hardest to watch — one scene in particular will wreck any parents in the crowd — it’s a joy to watch Affleck work through all the emotions involved as his character deals with the ghosts of his past.

Hedges is also exceptional as Patrick, one of the more realistic portrayals you’ll see of a teen this year. While his dad’s death sinks in, he goes on trying to be a regular kid: testing authority, playing in a band and using Lee to distract a girl's mom to snag extra time for making out.

Chandler’s usual combination of wise and manly comes through in limited screen time, and though Michelle Williams also has only a few scenes, she's fantastic as Lee’s ex-wife Randi. Through flashbacks, we see the couple before and after the unfortunate situation that splits them, and both Williams and Affleck are wholly convincing in contrasting true happiness and ultimate heartbreak.

What makes Manchester by the Sea one of the year's best movies is how naturally Lonergan brings the audience into the family: You feel all their pain and sorrow, find a way to get past the grief, and embrace the deep hugs and laughs that come as a needed release.